Fall 2021 news from the world of composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz and biographer Carol de Giere — a fan newsletter.
PHOTOS from September 14, 2021: LEFT – Stephen Schwartz at the Gershwin Theatre on opening night for the Broadway return of Wicked. (Photo by Michael Cole). RIGHT – The composer-lyricist joins the curtain call for Wicked‘s first Broadway performance in 18 months. (Photo by Steven Skybell)
1) Welcome from Carol
Over the last few months Stephen Schwartz has happily watched the return of his Broadway and West End musicals and has traveled to Europe several times for press events and other activities.
PHOTO: Stephen Schwartz and theatrical producer Adam Blanshay in London on the stage for the Charing Cross Theatre revival of Pippin.
At the same time, work on the Wicked and Disenchanted movies has moved forward. Find out more in this issue of The Schwartz Scene (below). Also read about a filmed version of Snapshots: a Musical Scrapbook ready for release on BroadwayHD, the Grammy nominated album, the Schwartz connection with tick, tick…BOOM!, and recent video and other interviews with Stephen.
For future updates please LIKE our Facebook – Schwartz Scene page where I post news periodically. Those on Twitter but not Facebook can check Stephen Schwartz’s feed (run by his office) @composerstephen or @caroldegiere from time to time. You can also check Stephen’s official site StephenSchwartz.com news section for updates.
2) Stephen Schwartz News – Live Theater
The Prince of Egypt musical – filming, closing date, cast album
Good news! Those of us who can’t make it to London to The Prince of Egypt will eventually be able to view a filmed version of this Stephen Schwartz/ Philip LaZebnik musical. Watch for updates in future issues of The Schwartz Scene.
The Prince of Egypt Original Cast Recording released earlier this year received a 2021 Grammy Award nomination. The highly praised show directed by Scott Schwartz and imaginatively choreographed by Sean Cheesman will play its final live stage performance on January 8th, 2022. For show information, photographs, and videos, see Theprinceofegyptmusical.com/
Wicked Returns to Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre
Like the other Broadway musicals, Wicked shut down in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, so the re-opening September 14, 2021 was a cause for celebration. Appearing at the side of the stage Kristin Chenoweth, the original Glinda, welcomed the audience to the special evening wearing ruby-colored high heels and saying, “There’s no place like home.”
Stephen Schwartz and his assistant Michael Cole were among the many masked audience members in the full house that night. Cole shared his experience with The Schwartz Scene: “The minute we heard ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’ the audience went CRAZY! That went on and on and THEN they introduced Kristin and of course it got louder. It happened throughout the entire performance with standing ovations for most of the entrances of the lead characters, ovations for dancers doing their crossovers, ovations for favorite lines…ALL NIGHT LONG. But my favorite moment of all was when the show was over, the ovation just kept going for minutes (I don’t know how long, but it was the longest ovation I’ve been part of…) and then the curtain rose to reveal Stephen and the crowd ROARED.”
This fall Wicked has also returned on tour and at London’s West End. Pandemic-related rules are in place.
3) Stephen Schwartz News – Movies and Streaming
Disney’s Disenchanted – (The Enchanted Sequel)
Disney has announced that Disenchanted, the long-awaited sequel to its popular Enchanted (2007), will be released on Disney+ in the fall of 2022. Both Enchanted and Disenchanted star Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, and Idina Menzel, with additional cast members. Both feature original songs by the award-winning team of Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.
In our Spring 2021 issue of The Schwartz Scene, Stephen commented on the songs and international recording sessions, revealing that Idina Menzel has her own song this time, as well as part of another. Patrick Dempsey will also sing in the sequel. (If you missed the Spring Issue, see Theschwartzscene.com/quarterly-newsletter/issue-70-spring-2021/) Although Stephen didn’t make it to Ireland for the filming as he had hoped, the songwriting and recording work served as a major focus for 2021 and allowed for the fun of working with his friend Alan and the singers.
Enchanted is now available on Disney+.
The Wicked Movie
In mid-September false rumors circulated that the lead casting for the Wicked movie adaptation had been completed. Director Jon Chu took to Twitter to say no. “Taking our time to find the right fit. So many good people!!!”
In October news appeared in The Hollywood Reporter and elsewhere that the film is expected to begin shooting in June in the UK, outside of London. This will “allow the filmmakers to get production efficiencies in-line, as Wicked will be the first production to shoot on stages at Universal’s recently built Sky Studios in Elstree.” (This is a change from the original Atlanta plan.)
Finally on November 4th some big casting news finally arrived: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande made the announcement on their Instagram pages and director Jon Chu shared news on Twitter that Erivo will play Elphaba, and Grande will be the movie’s Glinda. In December an open casting call went out encouraging wheelchair users (ambulatory or non-ambulatory) of any ethnicity to submit themselves for the part of Nessarose.
Jon M. Chu announced previously that he was bringing In the Heights cinematographer Alice Brooks on board for Wicked.
Meanwhile, Stephen Schwartz has been busy with Zoom meetings and other efforts for Wicked. Winnie Holzman, who wrote the musical book, is writing the screenplay in conjunction with Schwartz who provides music and lyrics.
Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook
Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook is a unique show that almost defies description. Fortunately, we will be able to see a wonderful production through the streaming platform BroadwayHD beginning December 22nd. You can access BroadwayHD through a direct subscription at BroadwayHD.com or add it as an Amazon Prime channel. (You’ll also find the 1981 filmed version of Pippin, as well as many other musicals and plays.
Snapshots is an original book musical that incorporates over two dozen of Stephen Schwartz’s songs from Godspell, Wicked, Pippin, and others. It provides a new context for some of his famous songs like “Meadowlark” and “Lion Tamer” as well as one of his most poignant independent songs “Code of Silence.”
ACT of CT, a Connecticut professional theater that works closely with Stephen, created the recorded production as well as the first and only cast album. Happily, this recording received a Grammy Award nomination in the “Best Musical Theater Album” category. The album is available through Broadwayrecords.com/film-tv-soundtracks-1/stephen-schwartzs-snapshots-world-premiere-recording-mp3
ACT of CT Artistic Director and Broadway veteran Daniel Levine told The Schwartz Scene, “Working on Snapshots with Stephen was really fantastic. I love collaborating with Stephen, and my experiences working on his Godspell, Working, and Snapshots have been some of the most rewarding and memorable theatrical experiences of my career.”
Levine figured out how to include Snapshots as part of ACT of CT’s season during the pandemic by creating a film instead of a staged production. But it was challenging. “Producing, presenting, directing and filming Snapshots (the show) was nearly impossible (since the production was during the peak of COVID in February 2021). Creating the cast album also presented many challenges due to the pandemic. Receiving this Grammy Nomination (for the cast album) truly means so much to me on many levels. Oftentimes in theater, we work so very hard on projects, and never receive any sort of recognition. For the Grammy nominating committee to love and appreciate our Snapshots as much as we do – well, it just means the world!”
Stephen Schwartz commented about the album, “I’m delighted with how it turned out. And I’m also really happy after all these years to have a recording of the show, because I think it helps for people who might be interested in the show to know what it is. I’m hopeful it will lead to more productions. It was fortuitous to have a cast with six really good singers, plus Bryan Perri musical directing, you can’t get much better than that. I never expected there to be a cast recording of Snapshots at all, so I’m really glad there is such a good one.” PHOTO: Stephen Schwartz and Daniel Levine (behind Stephen) with the Snapshots team at ACT of CT.
The Snapshots stage musical is available for licensing through Music Theatre International and is ideal for theater groups wanting to stage a small show. mtishows.com – Snapshots
The tick, tick… BOOM! Schwartz Connection
Have you seen the Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed musical movie tick, tick… BOOM! available on Netflix? There are several Schwartz connections – Scott Schwartz and Stephen Schwartz. Read all about it in our blog post theschwartzscene.com/2021/12/08/the-tick-tick-boom-schwartz-connection/
Wicked in Germany
A non-replicated production of Wicked has been running at the Stage Theater Neue Flora in Hamburg, Germany. Stephen Schwartz traveled to Germany early this fall to see it. Eventually Wicked will be available for licensing, and each show will have its own director, choreographer, and designers. Enjoy photos at stage-entertainment.de/musicals-shows/wicked-hamburg
4) Stephen Schwartz News – Interviews and Books
Stephen Schwartz, Leonard Bernstein, and More
Spielberg’s new film West Side Story with its Leonard Bernstein score is now running in the movie theaters to critical acclaim. Bernstein was one of Stephen Schwartz’s key influences. Over the summer of 1971, Bernstein served as a mentor to Schwartz while they worked together on Mass.
Read about this and all facets of Stephen Schwartz’s creative career from Godspell to Wicked in Defying Gravity, 2nd edition. I have autographed books signed by Stephen Schwartz and myself, or you can buy the paperback or ebook versions online. PLEASE go to https://caroldegiere.com/signed-copies/ for Defying Gravity and also The Godspell Experience.
Theatre Café Interview on YouTube
Enjoy a fun hour-long interview with Stephen Schwartz recorded at London’s Theatre Cafe during his recent trip. He answers Alice Fearn’s questions on his writing, collaboration, audition tips, and more. (Alice has played Elphaba in the London production of Wicked and many other roles.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZFTMQ9Z1VM&t=345s
PHOTO: Stephen Schwartz and interviewer Alice Fearn. Photo by Edward Johnson.
The Metaphor Maker
On The Schwartz Scene site blog, I’ve added my summer interview with Stephen all about creating lyrics that include metaphors. We looked at “Beautiful City,” “Spark of Creation,” the nature-inspired similes of “For Good,” and other songs. Theschwartzscene.com – By the Light of Metaphor, a Stephen Schwartz interview
How Musicals Make the Most of Time – A Conversation with Stephen Schwartz
Starting with his Pippin lyrics “Time weaves ribbons of memory,” Stephen and I discussed how musical makers deal with time-related questions like how to compress storytelling in a song. The interview includes some detailed comments on “Dancing Through Life” as a montage.
Musicalwriters.com/writing-a-musical/musicals-make-the-most-of-time-stephen-schwartz/
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Previous Issues of The Schwartz Scene
If you missed previous issues, our back issue index is at Back issue archive. You’ll find news and online interviews with Stephen Schwartz.
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About this online fan newsletter: The Schwartz Scene is an independent publication written for musical theater enthusiasts who appreciate the work of American composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz. It does not formally represent composer Stephen Schwartz, although the editor, Carol de Giere, is in regular contact with the Schwartz office for updates and approval of his quotations. Send questions or comments by message at http://facebook.com/theschwartzscene (preferred) or by email to carol1 (at) caroldegiere (dot) com
Copyright 2021 by Carol de Giere. Carol de Giere has exclusive rights, unless otherwise specified, for all materials included in the newsletter. Permission must be secured in writing before any part of it may be reprinted, except for the printing of one copy for the subscriber’s private use. Editor: Carol de Giere, 10 Library Place #909, Bethel CT 06801-0909.
